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gcsurf issue xxxv read online www.goldcoastsurf.com.au www.sunshinecoastsurf.com.au winwinwin spring 2011

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gc local scene hanna mona blake lisa jimmy celebrating blake mckinnon s 28th bali indonesia stafford family anna suzie francess paula micky stafford s memorial paddle out north burliegh bob pankhurst from surf world museum and mike thies events manager for connecting southern gold coast emerge kirra alyssa lock with mark occhilupo after winning sony expression session the 2011 occy s grom comp d-bar 2011 lachlan leckie jason and renae stephenson the 2011 occy grom comp win in conjunction with gcsurf gopro giving away one hd gopro to a lucky contestant scan the qr code with your smart phone or go to the gcsurf website for details www.goldcoastsurf.com.au winner published in the summer katharina yasmin emma celebrating katharina s 21st air broadbeach apartments ken mary rob tappa colleen the sarcoma butterfly ball get on it surfcomposites.com.au 02 4226 1322 rusty staff adi brianna cara working hard the 2011 rusty gromfest andrew crockett s book launch `acumen the byron bay writers festival www.theacumenbook.com 2 gcsurf spring 2011

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gcsurf contents gc local scene gopro competition waves of the season ben whitmore making tracks iron woman splinter group piece of art ronnie silcock solomans castle tipi and the isc scardys travel bits elephant rocks spring dish front row greg bird scott prince david eastgate john robin les sherrington back row ray price beau emerton david liddiard luke o`dwyer bap romano jordan rankin the 2011 rainbow bay slsc sportsmans lunch darrel `rooster dell mitchell rae of outer island surfboards the wooden surfboard festival currumbin alley www.outerislandsurfboards.com board buyers guide roots folk soul funk microgrom world rusty grom fest occy s grom comp ransom beach tag team series dunny lid joe engel junior cup coast of origin sarcoma teams challenge bearing rattle merrick leslie wildash sand pumped dealing with issues of surfing micky stafford tribute get away gecko inn 2-3 4-5 6 8-9 10 11 12-13 14 15 17-19 20 21 22 23 24 21 26 27 29 30 spring issue 2011 kellogg s nutri-grain iron woman series competitor alyce bennett twitter.com/alycebennett dot barb greg murray celebrating murray bourton s 6oth birthday the elephant rock cafe currumbin www.basesurfboards.com www.elephantrock.com.au the spring issue gcsurf has a great selection of winter waves events travel interviews skate groms surfboards thanks to all the contributing writers,photographers advertisers matty from harquebus design group our web developer bradd from designmonger `enjoy the ride contributing writers photographers keri algar lynsey trembath brieane keay andrew crockett andrew mckinnon dave scarde peter ching chad calderon terry tappa teece surfinsnapps ryan williams mark keane sheli bankier matthew gunn lyn simondson jake white surfing aust mal sutherland jay carter swilly roberts/nixon kendall o brien tim wright luke johnston guy pictured brett evans tim hain nel mcintosh rod owen merrick wildash surfing queensland steve robinson surfing aust cassandra nevine grant newby ronnie silcock vince lawder caught unawares tony philips of gcsurf walks in on his 60th suprise birthday party hosted by the mckinnons brett evans tim anderson rose engel thorton fallander wayne mckewen russell baker tex vince lawder the joe engel junior cup 2001 burleigh heads editor advertising tony philips goldcoastsurf@hotmail.com mobile 0409 724 055 art direction design harquebus design group matt@harquebus.com.au published by gold coast surf po box 555 palm beach queensland 4221 www.goldcoastsurf.com.au abn 160 373 557 20 cara laura carolyn enjoying the juice in griffiths street coolangatta s fresh garden cafe rory pam tippy oberman the kirra hill community cultural centre cover photo by brad surfer jay philips brad nielson all correspondence welcome contributors opinions are not necessarily those of gcsurf © 2011 all rights reserved 3 gcsurf www.goldcoastsurf.com.au

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ryan williams www.ryzphoto.com with spring arriving the gold coast for the most part seems a little shaky on a few fronts unemployment nudging 7 per cent an unprecedented construction and retail slump police nearing martial law status and to top it off our premier anna bligh suggested to hang up your surfboard and go work in the mines on the opposite end of the spectrum gcsurf is debating was the 2011 winter to spring period the best for a decade well the evidence is certainly over whelming our email box has been filled to capacity by some of the best gold coast based photographers here are a selection of some of those photos to give back some glory to the gc and affirm the gc is one of the best places to live and surf in the world contributing photographers brad ryan williams shayne nienaber sean scott andrew potts swilly andrew potts www.pottspics.com.au 4 gcsurf spring 2011

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swilly www.swilly.com.au sean scott www.seanscottphotography.com.au shayne nienaber shaynenienaberphotography.com brad bradsnapper@gmail.com gcsurf www.goldcoastsurf.com.au 5

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former gcsurf scribe ben whitmore recently joined tracks magazine as the staff writer and editorial coordinator extradonaire originally from coolangatta ben lives on sydney s northern beaches and a stone s throw away from where he first fell in love with surfing so says ben my dad grew up at collaroy and that s where i first tried surfing funny being i was initially hesitant but once i had a good dig i couldn t stop ben has spent his far share of time delivering pizzas and labouring over the years but never once did he waver from his dream to work in surf media ben elaborates i always wanted to be part of the surfing stratosphere but knew i was never going to do anything special with my skills on top of a surfboard so the next best thing for me was to work for a surf mag i caught up with ben just after his trip with tracks to south africa for the billabong jay bay event so ben when did your taste for the surfing industry first begin i think it probably began shortly after i started surfing i mean i thought about surfing all the time and talked about it all the time so i knew i had to come up with a way to make it my job why the surfing industry and not main stream media i ve never really been a fan of the hard-hitting journalism required in mainstream media i think you need to write about something that you re truly passionate about if it s politics chase that if it s surfing then write about surfing that s my view the fact that i get to spend a lot of my time in the water also helps how did you make those first baby steps into the media and the surfing media i didn t ever see myself becoming a writer really it wasn t until i started to memorise articles from mags like tracks when i was a grom i would become lost in the words written by guys like sean doherty and tim baker and i think that s when i decided i wanted to do what they did i basically cold-called sean while he was editor at tracks and told him i wanted to be a writer he gave me some advice and i then went off and studied journalism and tried to offset my assignments by writing them as surf articles i would send them off to be marked and then also send them to a surf mag editor to give me their two cents as well so you are working for one of the most successful surfing magazines in australia how did this journey with tracks begin i was working as a builder s labourer and trying to freelance at the same time working on a building site for 12 hours a day and then trying to go home and chase and write stories was proving to be difficult so i started sneaking my laptop into work in my esky i would find a quiet place at lunch and write or do phone interviews occasionally if i was on deadline i d be corking skirting boards with one hand and writing with the other i would set goals for myself first to actually get published secondly to get published and paid after a dozen or so freebies i had enough tear-sheets to actually go to an editor and ask for a paid assignment and luke kennedy at tracks was the first to give me a go i did a few freelance stories for them after that and some free work experience around events then a position opened up and i was lucky enough to get the nod to come on board fulltime what did it take to score a job with tracks sacrifices long nights lots of free time the main sacrifice i made was time really that and i had to leave the gold coast and move to sydney i had to dedicate a lot of time to chasing stories and write for free for a while to get my chance there have definitely been some long nights but in the scheme of things they re small sacrifices especially if you love what you do 6 gcsurf spring 2011 what is an average day in the life of a surf scriber i d love to say my time s spent purely chasing amazing stories but it s not some days i get to interview kelly slater or go on an overseas trip and write a story sometimes it s about covering a small boardriders comp some days i don t get the chance to write at all and it s about organising content from contributors for an upcoming issue every day involves drinking a lot of coffee though you have recently been to j-bay africa do you often travel with tracks i ve been pretty lucky this year i ve travelled a lot it is definitely a perk and as a writer your job is often to sit back observe and enjoy your surroundings while taking the odd notes for a story you ll write once you get back in the office what destinations have you been to around the world where are you off to next i ve done indo a few times fiji a few times europe new zealand south africa i m not too sure where i m off to next hawaii would be good has your experience as a former writer for gold coast surf magazine helped you shape your career definitely gcsurf gave me my first chance to write and more importantly it gave me the chance to write a lot which is exactly what you need to do if you want to better your craft those pages still sit in the front of my portfolio today it also gave me the chance to interact with the local surfing community and be a part of some amazing gold coast events has there been an epic surfing story you had to cover that blew you away or changed how you feel about life surfing or writing a few months after i started at tracks andy irons passed away and kelly slater won his tenth world title all in the space of a week we covered both and it was such a roller coaster i only had two issues to my name at that point and we were covering two of the biggest moments in surfing history ­ one was probably the most significant achievement in any sporting field and the other was probably the biggest loss what is your favourite story or interview you have done/written mick fanning is always a great guy to interview he makes my job easy by always having something to say and he s always a riot when you chat to him my favourite story probably one i am working on at the moment from a boat trip i just did through indo we had an amazing crew and amazing waves that s all i could ask for really could you give some tips or advice for young grommets or recent school leavers who want to get into surfing magazines or the surfing media any type of media job can be a hard nut to crack there are plenty of setbacks my advice would be to take any criticism of your work well and be proactive in using advice given to you by editors write a lot and be prepared to do some work gratis if you show how bad you want it someone will eventually notice thanks ben story by brieane keay photos swilly robert nixon

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for sale exclusive d bah location wake up and check the surf actual view d bah 3/13 eden street tweed heads/coolangatta price $2,700,000 this property is unsurpassed in quality technical inclusions are as follows · full security coded safety systems · private safe · integrated c/bus lighting surround sound tv/stereo systems w 3 ceiling mounted monitors · ducted air-conditioning throughout · vacuum made · garbage disposal shoot · miele appliances in a building of only six residences the 327sq.m amazing apartment is classed as strata freehold lot title however the common property is as follows · formal security coded foyer · commercial lift · pilates gym area · bali room with wet bar bbq facilities · heated spa with 20m infinity edge lap pool · lockable pet room and gated yard · vehicle wash bay a position that is completely private and exclusive rarely becomes available being only a 1 minute walk to the world famous surfing beach of d bah a 4 minute walk to snapper rocks and the main street of coolangatta as well as only a 5 minute drive to coolangatta airport what a place to live the vendor is ready to on purchase so must sell quickly this stunning full floor super apartment exudes opulence and class in the most prime position on duranbah headland of tweed heads and coolangatta this property boasts arguably the most picturesque panoramic views on the entire southern gold coast breathtaking views of fingal beach cook island the tweed river mouth jack evans boat harbour duranbah beach coolangatta city and surrounding nature reserve is visible for a full 250 degrees through the 3m floor to ceiling uninterrupted glass panels that stretch along the 48m front and side frontage conveying luxury the apartment features lavish fixtures and fittings plus an ultra modern design that allows for both the family and formal living featuring open plan lounge breakfast and dining areas a modern stone kitchen with large island bench design an expansive master bedroom with luxurious ensuite including separate shower spa double basin and amenities a huge walk-in-robe as well as two further bedrooms and study or extra fourth bedroom with two private bathrooms and amenities furthermore the property boasts its own fully-equipped laundry a private formal entry foyer area from lift entrance and three generous car spaces plus a fitted lockable storage area you can live a lifestyle of luxury by investing in your future with this dream property view property online at using the property id 456478 www.pottsvillebeachrealestate.com.au agent declares interest roger mcleod 0418 752 343 bruce melville 0407 784 766 professionals pottsville beach hastings point 1 coronation ave pottsville beach nsw 2489 ph 02 6676 2997 gcsurf www.goldcoastsurf.com.au 7

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alyce bennett much like the now unbridled progression of women s surfing women in surf life saving are also making staggering headway emerging as yet another force to be reckoned with iron woman after originally banned from competing in the early 1900s the dawn of ladies only surf clubs in the 1920s and 30s to endorsing women to participate simply in the march past `in an attempt to popularize men s carnivals it wasn t until 1980 when women were finally admitted as full-fledged surf life saving members now sitting in the front pack in the hunt for another competitive 2011/2012 season alyce bennett former australian and world title open medalist looks towards the first event of the season and continuing to transform the role of women in surf life saving the yamba bred nipper hit the big time in 2006 after migrating to the gold coast when at just 17 years of age she qualified for the prestigious kellog s nutrigrain ironwoman series and has since gone on to qualify for several more this includes taking out round three in 2009 coolum qld which saw bennett seal the biggest winning margin in the professional series history on august 28th 2011 in clean 1-2 foot conditions bennett once again secured a place for the seventh consecutive year after battling through a challenging three round nail biter at the trials in noosa heads before bennett sets foot on the starting line for the 2012 series she has set herself up as a hot contender apart from bennett being a regular in the professional series she has copious awards under her belt including nine australian title medals 17 state title medals and three top five world title listings with such a covetable resume it is no wonder bennett has loyal product sponsors including dolphin and kracka racing surf craft as well being a brand ambassador for rival swimwear though it has been six months since last seasons pinnacle the australian titles bennett s rigid training regime took over her supposed off-season due to the ironwoman series trials taking place two weeks earlier than last year the series is set to officially kick-off in surfers paradise on december 18th if you want to go well and be confident you ve done enough work you can only really have a couple of weeks off then you have to get back into it said bennett but before the series officially gets underway the 24-year-old will turn her focus to one of the most iconic and demanding multi-discipline races in australia the 30.5km coolangatta gold having taken on this grueling race three times already 2008 2007 2006 placing third fourth and tenth respectively amongst a formidable field of contenders bennett knows what training is required and it doesn t sound pretty the golds not the kind of race you can go in half-done oh you can but it s not fun i don t like it unless i m going to be able to finish and know that i ve put in everything and it was the best i could have possibly done said bennett so train she does last time i did the gold we trained up to 36 hours a week we trained three times a day six times a week for up to six hours so i m going to see how i go going as close to that as i can she said i forget how much it hurts so we ll see how that goes but i m really keen to give it a good crack and see how far i can push myself after reviewing bennett s latest achievements it s clear she has a fair amount to live up to in october 2010 alyce represented north burleigh surf life saving club in alexandria egypt at the lifesaving world championships rescue amongst 3000 athletes from across the globe not to mention the two bronze medals she brought home we got to race in the mediterranean then cruise around see all the pyramids and valley of the kings i m so happy i went over egypt was incredible on the flip-side alyce travelled to china macau and hong kong for a ten day stint acting as an ambassador for surf life saving australia slsa running coaching clinics for a select group of athletes and coaches across all parts of asia teaching basic skills and techniques needed to take their performance to the next level as an ambassador for slsa we taught athletes from china japan taiwan korea and hong kong how to paddle boards including technique 8 gcsurf spring 2011

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and a few little tricks on how to start out it wasn t so much giving them training sessions but providing basic skills and technique for them to work on she said they were all really competitive driven and motivated and all wanted to do really well it was cool to see them go from not being able to kneel and falling off all the time to being able to race each other by the end of the day i especially loved seeing some of them compete at the world titles in egypt a year later and did i mention she was a hot contender for the gold coast s sexiest woman an excerpt from the gold coast bulletin reads `there s nothing more sexy than a beach babe with a natural tan healthy body and cute smile ironwoman alyce bennett ticks all the right boxes including abs that leave most for dead bennett is coy about being referred to as `sexy and insists the whole thing was a laugh i don t really know what else to say except that i still find it funny i genuinely wanted to make sure they hadn t confused me with someone when they called me and then i bribed and blackmailed pretty much everyone i knew to help me get through to the final part pretty much the entire yamba population said bennett i don t really think you can take that kind of thing seriously have a look at the girls who i was up against i was up there beside miss universe and australia s next top model i was just trying to have some fun with it despite her clearly hectic extracurricular schedule bennett still manages to balance training with work and uni commitments studying for her double degree in business and law at griffith university hasn t stopped her from training hard in the surf while i ve still got at least another three years at uni it kind of lends itself to be able to train and race she said but when bennett isn t studying or training strangely enough you re most likely to find her out amongst the gold coast lineup and if she has the time she ll be at her favourite surf spot angourie point i surf for fun and relaxation which is probably weird given most people that do ironwomen like to get away from the beach when they don t have to be there but i don t see it as something i have to get away from i like to spend as much time in the water as i can i ve had some amazing experiences through surf life saving promoting the coolangatta gold at the melbourne spring racing carnival acting as a slsa ambassador at a parliament house dinner in canberra and doing photo shoots for magazines for something so simple as doing nippers if you go alright at it you can get so much out of it said alyce as surf life saving continues on its journey upwards from its male-dominated beginnings women like alyce bennett will push the sport into a bold new era · story by lynsey trembath photo kendall o brien i surf for fun and relaxation gcsurf www.goldcoastsurf.com.au 9

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splinter group this year s 3rd annual wooden surfboard day was a great success it all started with saturday night at the gold coast surf museum where three very talented shapers and board builders shared their talent and experiences with the 100 odd people gathered first up was mitchell rae from the scotts head area of nsw where he shapes for his outer islands surfboard label he has been shaping for some 30 years and favours balsa when building wooden boards he has shaped them in the jungles of west java from local balsa and for many well known surfers chambering is his preferred method with a layer of 4 oz glass it has been said his influence in australian surfboard design has been considerable and could be said to parallel what the campbell bros creators of the bonza did in california yet he remains at the cottage industry level of production he has followed his own path remained his own man stayed underground and never been seen to beat his own drum today mitchell continues to make unique craft for a largely custom market and is widely known for his concaves balsa guns and the spirit eyes which feature on the front of his boards mitchell was followed by young student and university tutor mike grobelny from auckland new zealand mike has just graduated with a masters in furniture design from auckland university of technology as a project he had looked at numerous organic ways of building a surfboard such as blanks from cereals popcorn and the like but decided that surfing on a board made from food while people in other parts of the world were starving was maybe not the right thing to be doing so he settled on soild sustainable woods such as paulownia and bamboo this he set about with his new found hi-tech computer aided skills and a cnc router from the solid block was carved over some 6 hours a 3d hollow surfboard that really needed very little hand finishing the main body of the board was cored out with a honeycomb pattern to lighten the board and provide a tight platform for a 1.8mm 3ply of bamboo to be used as the only deck skin no fibreglass to seal it just gum turpentine and wax very technical but in the end very simple light definitely head turning and cutting edge he has only ever made 6 boards and he had 4 of them 10 gcsurf spring 2011 on display it will be very interesting to see where he goes with this and what the future holds paul joske resides in the nambucca valley on the mid north coast of nsw and has been building surfboards since 1969 in 1970 he founded valla surfboards which he still operates today with the assistance of his son sage his involvement with timber goes back to his youth when he built a twin fin belly board out of balsa followed by his first surfboard which was hollow plywood he has always been interested in using wood for surfboards in 1998 he was commissioned to build the first paulownia surfboard in australia which was a huge success and saw the attributes of this timber realised the board was to be a green as possible with hand made ebony fin boxes and fins with only a little glue holding the chambered beams together and a coat of gum turpentine and wax to seal it it weighs in at only half a kilo more than a foam board of the same dimensions paul s interest in surfing and surfboards is broad both in the water and in the shaping room he relishes the challenge of different designs and timbers and building one-off specialty boards the museum is such a great venue for this sort of gathering and has a wonderful collection of boards to inspire anyone interested in surf history the following day sunday 7th august we were greeted with a beautiful day in the sun but unfortunately northerly winds pushing the swell around not to worry there were plenty of great looking boards laid out in the park across the road from the beach at currumbin alley all shapes sizes and ages but one common denominator was that they were all built in a variety of woods there is no easy way to build a wooden surfboard no matter what size so what you find is that there is a great deal of stoke and mutual respect for anybody who has brought a board along and laid it out on the park no matter what the outcome to ride a board you have built yourself is a great experience a great journey of discovery really you learn an awful lot about yourself for most of us it is a balance between desire skill and the tools we have at hand on the other end of the scale there were a number of carpenters cabinet makers furniture builders and other wooden workers who surf and decided to build a wooden board first timers selftaught and long-term shapers a great mix of experiences and this is what the day is all about getting together with a bunch of like minded people and sharing what we have learned and being inspired by others around us there are so many ways to build a board and there are so many variables and by sharing our experiences we all learn so much faster every thing from kookboxes to handplanes were on display there were young kids there looking to start a school project to 80 yrs barry regan from ballina who builds beautiful old-school boards a 1958 solid balsa pig shaped by dale velzy was great to see out there amongst the shiny modem shapes there is a lot of interest in wooden boards worldwide for a variety of reasons i suppose you can build a board with a small selection of hand tools and very little mess if it is built from paulownia you can save a lot of weight money and mess by not having to glass it it is something you can work away at when you have time and at the end you have created something very personal that you will have a great connection with they will last a lot longer than a foam board mitchell rae still surfs one he shaped some 24 years ago that still looks as good as the day he finished it they can stay in the family for years and be handed down or hung on the wall as an treasured piece of art so if you didn t manage to get down to check them out this year be sure to look in next year on the first weekend in august or check the blog to see what others are doing · story by grant newby woodensurfboards.blogspot.com thealleyfishfry.blogspot.com

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i have always enjoyed drawing and painting my inspiration comes from my love of surfing i like to paint point-breaks the way that i have seen ridden and imagine them with bright vibrant colors i have surfed most of them in australia i work from memory and photos that jog the old memory i m 63 now acrylic is my preferred medium with very vibrant colors on canvas or glass coated board i started painting when i was very young when we visited my grandparents they lived at hilltop in the blue mountains a beautiful place about 3 hours drive from out place at bondi pop set me up with a little canvas on an easel some tubes of oil paint brushes etc and said paint whatever you want i was a already a bondi gremlin surfer what do i paint a waves and surfers of course i would have liked to have continued painting then but not long after pop died gran went off the deep end and burnt all of pops art stuff and that was the end of that for a few years i grew up at bondi going to school with guys like kevin brennan and chris brock i remember going on surfing holiday with brocky in 1963 we caught a train from sydney to byron bay the best point break in the world what a trip that was byron was so beautiful then and so cheap like the flavored milk we bought straight from the old norco dairy factory for about 6 pence a bottle and it was so uncrowded in the surf especially at the old pier up the beach where they pumped blood and offal from the abattoir into the surf sure soured a lot of activity under the water i ve got to paint that scene one day anyway holidays finished brocky stayed up there and i came back to bondi to finish school i married wife chris in 1969 and we had our only son byron a gcsurf www.goldcoastsurf.com.au byron `the pass year later we lived at dee why for 10 years before moving to the gold coast in 1979 i got a job straight away selling windows which i still do now for c-view windows at burleigh i hope to retire in a couple of years and do a heap more painting most of my paintings have been donated to charity for auction at surfing contests some going for as much as 1200 bucks i love doing it but just don t get the time with work and surfing oh and golf 3 handicap i am presently putting a collection together it may take a few years but it will be worth waiting for like all good things ronniesilcock the alley cresent head 11

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solomons castle it is close to dusk at the end of a 22 hour boat trip when i realise i m not sure where i am as the ship s tender approaches a bay i spot a man in boardies probably in his sixties standing alone on the typically tropical beach he gives me a broad smile as i jump out of the boat g day he calls out and i introduce myself i m pete blanche he says still smiling but i spot a slightly puzzled expression cross his face you re not expecting me eh i ask nope but you ve made it this far so welcome we laugh and pete invites me up to the bar for a coconut communication around here is a bit touch and go he says i take a quick stock of the place half a dozen or so traditionally built rooms connected by a wooden walkway a generator for electricity a bar and restaurant a beach with lots of toys no mobile reception no landline no internet no village no shop nothing else the sense of isolation is immense and even though i can pin point this speck of an island on a map i feel lost perfect pete s wife marg wakes up from a nap and we get stuck into a good natter the two quintessential gold coasters talk about their love for the islands and it s people ­ they re no strangers to it having first arrived in 1989 to market the solomons via the family-run travel agency go tours the climate the people the lifestyle the culture we love it says marge you can take people away from the goldy but you can t take away their lifestyle they re also excited about the two-year-old retreat and it s hallmark remoteness that s why we like it here you know people come and they can totally relax no phone calls no emails no work no stress pete flinches when i use the word `retirement retirement doesn t even come into it he says i can t even use the word we re babysitting it for the family so it s a family run business and over the following days i understand that guests are part of the extended family the blanche s hospitality is unequivocal later as i walk away along the wooden pathway i hear pete say to his wife darl what s that cornflour darl what do you do with it oh darl you use it like ordinary flower for tempuras and stuff you know surfer jamie mitchell you think you ve got something dialled she deals you a wild card i totally underestimate the power and get smashed bang the rest of the set on the head dragged into the inside section bang again and this pretty much sums up the rest of the session it s frustrating because the take off zone looks like the challenging part of the wave it throws over into a thick-lipped barrel but then fattens out not much further down the line to what looks like could be a whackable wall ­ not that i get a chance i turn off the go pro pretty sheepishly and am just grateful that there s no one around to witness the spectacle john today s boat driver is still puffing quietly through his packet of pall malls in the distance the following day i surf with roe s son chris a lovely local lad who has just started working on the island and has been surfing for one season yesterday s waves are long gone so we sit and chew the fat i get that funny feeling surfers sometimes get chris are there any crocodiles around here oh yes there are many he replies mmm are you afraid of them i ask oh no he says giving me a funny look as if it s a ridiculous idea really why they are our ancestors they protect us the rest this is a far-flung island off another island province with only one other commercial tourism venture you want swashbuckling adventure you got it the resort has a full quiver of boards including sup s which you can use to discover the scattering of other tiny islets perfect for running about with your kit off there s not a soul in site there s a sunken ww2 fighter plane japanese i think that s in shallow water and in really good nick the battle of guadalcanal where honiara is situated was decisive in the war in the pacific the area is a history buff s dream and the blanche s have a few interesting books about it all three different fresh water rivers are within easy access on isabel and offer superb fishing mangrove jacks aplenty and out at sea giant trevally spanish mackerel coral trout and dog toothed tuna to name just a few make for sensational eating at the retreat which by the way puts on a mean feast daily there are different tracks around the 274-hectacrejungle island which is teeming with lizards hermit crabs wee spiders and the occasional croc i started to go a bit troppo with fear though i never saw one if that doesn t freak you out maybe gideon john teropa the residing skeleton will gideon was from kiribati and worked on papatura when it was a copra plantation no one knows how or why he died and the blanche s stumbled upon his grave by accident on the main isabel island you can discover the nearby villages of kolopakisa or baolo where most of papatura s staff come from they are humble settlements and offer a candid look at village life unmanufactured i recall someone saying it s sunset i lie in my hammock with nothing on my mind pete calls out to me from the bar kez how s the serenity eh for real i shake my head in wonder come and have a drink mate talk about being at home especially at the bar where guests are allowed to drink their own duty free grog tell me i m dreaming nb i took the boat but you can leave from adelaide melbourne sydney or brisbane and arrive at papatura in time for a sunset session by connecting with a domestic flight to suavanao checkout www.papatura.com by keri algar unstucktravel.com surfer james watson it s well into the off-season at the end of may the northern facing solomons enjoy the pacific winter swells that hit hawaii first so it s not looking good but as fortune has it a category two typhoon off the philippines typhoon songda has stirred up a bit of action one of the boat drivers roe takes me round to the other side i jump in at kumma s and get into some two-foot tropical splendour roe drifts away in the boat happily making his way through a packet of pall mall yeah it s small but it s beautiful translucent water glassy warm and as i trim along the lefthander i reckon i m the only surfer for hundreds of kilometres in either direction picking off any wave i please the sense of solitude is more intense in the water than it was on land there are dozens of waves around papatura and at any one time no more than 16 or so guests are lodged ­ you do the math after another night on the cans with the other guests ­ four friendly queensland fishermen who are revelling in the world-class fishing ­ i wake to see some white water action on the cliffs opposite on the other side it s twice as big as yesterday but a bit windy and the sea looks like it s brooding after skimming around a few options and watching a couple of sets come through i settle on surfing pt s it looks like a demanding right-hander breaking nicely if a bit all over the shop in deepish water i jump in super psyched the waves are solid got some tight togs on got a go pro securely fastened near the nose and i m paddling hard for the first wave of the set but you ve got to hand it to mother nature just when the surf the retreat is tucked into the lee side of the island and faces south-west so dawn is a gradual affair of the lightening of the skies from blueberry black to grey and then blue ­ witnessed through curtainless windows without lifting your head from the pillow situated where it is though it s hard to see what the waves are doing and i m antsy so i ask pete if there are any indicators he points to the distant isabel island and says that when there are waves you can see the sets break against the cliffs no waves 12 gcsurf spring 2011

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the surf girl hand book the essential guide for surf chicks everywhere fall or resist skinwalkers music review book review can a great three-piece band still change the world an awe-inspiring book aimed at girls who want to experience more learn or advance and dig deeper into the true core of what a lifestyle of surfing is really all about an awe-inspiring book aimed at girls who want to experience more learn or advance and dig deeper into the true core of what a lifestyle of surfing is really all about the book has a set of special features like a fold out surfing globe map four spare blank pages to start up your own surf journal and it also showcases some of the most scenic aspiring and exceptional women surfing photos from destinations all over the world what makes this book unique from other surfing guides is it s in depth detail into improving the health safety and fitness of women it provides a direct one on one information source for reading the surf conditions learning surf etiquette buying a surf board or wetsuit catching waves and duck diving pushing your limits and catching big waves and creating fundamental strength and balance for surfing through the provided personalised work outs furthermore the guide offers advice on eating well with a nutrition planner inside in addition to this are the travel tips the unlocked secret of international surfing destinations tips on ensuring the ocean environment stays green and also a section dedicated to surfing experts with an interview with professional surfer sally fitzgibbon the guide caters for any age and covers every aspect of the basics techniques of learning to surf to the eager elites who aim to advance and take their surfing to the next level with more progressive manoeuvres the book is an easy read and offers the unique advantage of being able to pick up at any page number and flick through the pages comfortably the girl surf hand book could be an awesome gift and or personal treat you will find it in most surf stores book review by brieane keay book editor louise searle orca publications 2011 in association with surfgirl magazine and roxy www.orcasurf.co.uk green day nirvana each generation seems to throw up an act that strips away the bullshit skinwalkers are that band fall or resist is their new ep barely out of their teenage years the three-piece unit play with a ferocious almost military precision in a mix of punk heavy metal hardcore and emotionally-charged rocked `n roll the group features matt turner on drums lenny delandre on bass and vocals and lach jenno on guitar and lead vocals all three share the song writing duties and in a time of war natural disasters and economic crises they felt it was important for the band to come out fighting in 2011 as the track dawn puts it this is not the end of the world it has only just begun you can hear that urgency on a classic working class anthem like `fall or resist the sheer raw weight of the music then its extraordinary angry rush amazing that this same angry-sounding band can then deliver a song of loss like `breakheart which memorializes a female friend killed in a car accident i only know love from the pain it brings me take a good listen to the way lion-voiced singer lach jenno cries that lone word `love like someone being gutted `rage meanwhile has enough punch in it to knock an entire pogo-ing mosh-pit on its back they ve since been told all kinds of things about their sound from it being too punk to not punk enough it s honest music look at the clash says matt you couldn t call them just a punk band they re also rock they re reggae they re all kinds of things lach agrees all that punk is to us is an attitude it s simply using your mind www.facebook.com/skinwalkersmusic acumen book review the acumen book is 31 thought provoking and inspiring questions we all ask ourselves at some point in our lives we ve put those questions to 40 very different people from all corners of the globe websters dictionary defines acumen as `acuteness of mind or `keenness of perception contributors include a rockstar wizard policeman doctor comedian artist boilermaker stockbroker great grandmother a ten year old kid teacher surfer pioneering horsewoman ecofeminist yogi monk film maker actress software developer mermaid author equestrian champion marketing manager zenthai therapist aboriginal elder supermodel fashion designer entertainer student writer priest jazz musician vet maori tour guide yoga instructor photographer environmental activist professional surfer a high school student and even a postman contributors hail from australia new zealand america england denmark africa hawaii brazil barbados japan and germany the acumen book will be available as a download for $10 in september 2011 all books bought through his website will be signed by the author for more information go to acumen website www.theacumenbook.com 13 gcsurf www.goldcoastsurf.com.au

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tipi the isc surfing in indonesia has come a long way since those heady early days the late russell hughes was one of the earliest pioneers to surf bali in 1968 and mentioned his find to alby falzon who then produced one of the most successful surf movies ever morning of the earth filmed 40 years ago the indelible scene of rusty miller and stephen cooney reef hoping at uluwatu in 1971 led the way to a surfing mecca to bali often referred to as the island of the gods australians steve palmer tim rodgers and the late kim the fly bradley established themselves as expats living the dream in bali from 1974 fly was instrumental in coaching the balinese how to surf with the local bali surf club and steve sponsored the first bali om pro event with his surf company om and in association with asp in 1980 won by north narrabeen s terry the sultan of speed fitzgerald from wollongong s terry richardson two more pro events followed with richo winning in 81 and jim banks claiming the last one in 82 following on in the same year dick hoole s storm riders was the next definitive indo surf movie with richard harvey and tony doris eltherington showing how deep they could get at padang padang while joe engel and thornton fallander put on stellar performances at lagundri bay nias on their dvs boards in particular thornton s memorable swooping round house cutback surfing australia/asp australasia hosted an event in 1996 at lagundri bay nias won by brenden margo margieson and then in 97 bali s rizal tandjung broke through for the first wqs indo win at lakey peak sumbawa quiksilver then sponsored wct events at g-land from 96 won by shane beschen kelly slater 97 and luke egan winning the last one in 98 rip curl search carved out a new track in the mentawai s filming team riders like tom curren on that 5ft 6in tommy peterson fish over those developing years the balinese surfers were all eyes and ears studying the westerners every surfing move and it was only a matter of time before the indo crew created their own circuit for their own surfers the idea to create an indonesian surfing circuit was hatched in 1999 by a handful of promising indo pro s as they traveled in a bus from the north shore of hawaii back to honolulu on their way home tipi jabrik rizal tanjung pepen hendrix made bol adi putra and wayan kopling wirtama were relating their professional experiences having competed on the asp s world qualifying series and realized in order to develop competitively they spoke about forming their own circuit not governed by asp but with all intentions of fostering potential asp champions in 2001 tipi jabrik sought the help of asp s matt wilson to formulate the rules and regulations judging and administration help and then convinced quiksilver to sponsor an indonesian championship tour other captains of the indo surf industry paul anderson billabong jeff andersen rip curl and steve palmer surfer-girl paved the way for other companies to eventually join in the circuit grew in strength encompassing open pro s juniors women 14 gcsurf spring 2011 dewa ardika mentawai s isc even mentawai s isc event t eight legends vs locals vs groms nyoman_wastika ht s mentawai s isc event masters longboards and grommets and with cocacola joining the sponsorship ranks the isc has never looked back currently their is a fresh new line-up of kids ripping from one end of the indonesian archipelago to the other from rote to the mentawai s to west jawa and bali and the talent is not restricted to bali with new champs like nusa lembongan s putra hermawan and west jawa s andre julian while i was traveling around indonesia in june the waves were pumping and so were the isc events as you can see by the photo s supplied by tim hain at halfways kuta beach quiksilver had sponsored a big eco event alongside the king of the groms an environmental conference was well attended by the indonesian government minster of sport and the governor of bali as well as former world champs mr cheyne pottz and pipe masters champ jake patterson later on the aussie legends took on the indo team and pulled off a huge win thanks in part to jake s last wave a 10 point ride checking out all the surfing action first hand i thought i d take the opportunity to interview tipi jabrik the man behind the isc how long has the isc being going for now isc started in 2004 with pepen hendrik taking the title 2011 is our 8th season so far we have 3 open events sponsored by the surf industry and the other 3 are by the local government of mentawai west jawa and rote island what are the aims and objectives the primary focus of the indonesian surfing championship series is directed at the indonesian surfers themselves to provide them with a consistent legitimate and respected forum in which they can compete and measure themselves against their peers a stepping stone towards the ultimate goal of becoming a professional surfer and getting on the asp wqs and wct the secondary focus is to grow the awareness of the sport of surfing in indonesia and throughout the world for the benefit of surfers themselves as well as the surfing industry as a whole how long have you been contest director i m only the contest director for my sponsor events quiksilver and other companies that request me my main job in isc is the ceo i overview the whole operation i use to run the whole thing by myself now we have 8 full time staff and 10 staff contracted during events i have been the ceo since day one so its been 8 years how has surfing changed for indonesian competitors are the isc i m really confident that isc have a big role in the industry now day s big companies putting bigger effort to make their events better than their competitors this has become a healthy competition among the companies between their marketing plan which is including events and team riders now we can see surfers having a good career path and isc is also on a big mission getting surfing throughout indonesia and scouting for new young talents all over indonesia who are the stars of the isc dede suryana marlon gerber andre julian putra hermawan what does the future hold the future is in good hands now but in the future all the boys need to understand where they want to go the surfers have a big say also in isc they have 2 reps on the board where they can provide their voice and also i think the industry is pretty satisfied on where we are the main focus is to find a good balance for the surfers industry and media will the isc produce an asp world champion that s our long term mission we will try to get there with or without asp s help and we want to have a couple of wqs events here to give the boys good seeding to start their travel what s your thoughts on the development of indonesian surfing the locations and the high low lights recently in the latest surfer mag big issue we can see that more than 20 of the world s best waves are in indonesia this will bring all those people who are interested in coming to surf or even to invest something for their business purpose but one thing for sure foreigners will never 100 understand what and how the people and this place works so lots of people try to invade the surf spots with only one thing in their mind exploitation but that aside on the other hand this can also be great where ever they come they will provide job opportunities this is the only thing that i m cool about story by andrew mckinnon · photos tim hain

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scardy s travel bits boards packed wings in the air passport at the ready anticipating touchdown to another surfing destination all second nature to our intreped travel writer dave scard elephant rock cafe king prawns present mooloolabah dean bowen cloud break fiji · photo rod owen well by now most of you would have seen the footage from our last trip to fiji in july once again the pacific was in full force with a massive south west swell pushing up between tasmania and new zealand not only did fiji experience huge perfect surf but so did new caledonia tonga and samoa by all reports the whole south pacific felt some of this beast s affects sitting here now over a month on with a broken rib for my troubles fiji will remain on the radar for all the guys wanting huge left pits well travel setters winter is nearly over yew hoo bring on the summer bbq s beachies and beers its also time to start thinking about your summer jaunts into the northern part of the pacific puddle typhoons have already been spinning up there and should now continue through til october before the north swell season kicks into gear if you have ever wanted to go to pohnpei and surf p-pass this is the season the prices are as low now as when the camp first opened thanks to the strong aussie dollar the trip is more affordable than ever allois at pohnpei surf club also has a new 35ft long boat with viewing tower revamped kitchen menu and wireless internet are just some of the improvements made in the off season last season the camp averaged 6-10 guests now keeping in mind that you can surf all tides all day this equates to a whole lot of waves fill your boots people it s also a great idea to plant yourself in png from november onwards tried and tested png is a winner and will always be popular especially with the surfers looking for cruisy uncrowded waves so my tip for this edition is just book the trip you have always wanted too come in make the booking take a bottle of wine home to the missus and wait until she is half cut then tell her grab the closest frying pan for cover just in case until next time scardy world surfaris www.worldsurfaris.com manager kerry smith head chef amber skinner and surfing restaurateurs greg and barb present us with this light and delicious spring dish ingredients 3 mooloolabah king prawns peeled and deveined head and tail on 1 honeydew melon 1 lime 2 table spoons sugar 150 ml water 2 long red pepper deseeded and finely diced ½ bunch thai basil 3 kaffir lime leaves blended to dust method 1 prepare prawns peel and devein leaving head and tail in tact 2 prepare salsa slice melon in half deseed peel and finely dice 3 zest lime and squeeze juice put lime juice zest sugar and water saucepan simmer 5 minutes 4 add diced chilli and basil pour sauce over melon allow to cool 5 dust whole prawns in seasoned cornflour then deep fry 6 add prawns and salsa together on plate serve with fresh lime and dust with lime leaf sean woolnough cloud break fiji · photo rod owen gcsurf www.goldcoastsurf.com.au 15

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